Escaping the rat race and the lure of gold-digging women, wealthy businessman Vance Banning moves to a small, rural retreat, telling the townsfolk that he's an out-of-work carpenter. All he wants is peace, quiet and to keep away from women. So the last thing he needs is a charitable neighbor; especially a beautiful, gracious and persistent neighbor of the female persuasion - but there's something about Shane Abbott he just can't ignore.

Vance is certain his cover story will stop his lovely neighbor from getting too friendly, but Shane is determined to break down his resistance. Vance has been burned once, so only a fool would fall for the same innocent act twice. And he's no fool. But he has no idea how relentless Shane Abbott can be when it comes to giving a helping hand; or a loving heart.
He needed to simplify his life and mend his broken heart. She was searching for a place to finally fit in and a man who could love her for who she was. Together they discover that all they really needed was each other, and that love is the greatest Christmas gift of all.

This year I have been rereading many Nora Roberts’ novels which has been awesome. I wanted to read some Christmas/Winter romances, and I decided to reread this one. I read this years ago, but remember nothing about it, so it was like reading it for the first time. First Impressions by Nora Roberts is a bit dated, but I absolutely enjoyed it.

The heroine of First Impressions is Shane Abbott. She was raised in this small town in Maryland, but has been away for a little bit teaching. She moves back into her grandmother’s house after her grandmother passes away and she plans to turn the house into an antique place. Vance Banning, (that is such a romance novel hero name, isn’t it?) is the president of a huge construction company in D.C. but he’s burnt out, so he decides to take a leave of absence and spend some time alone renovating this old house in the same town. For some reason everyone things Vance is a down-on-his-luck construction worker. So Shane decides to hire him to help get the house ready for her new store. And then ROMANCE!

I really liked this book. Shane is adorable. She’s a go-getter and I loved her determination to start a business even though it was risky endeavor. I also loved that she loved her small town, and she was so happy to be back. Shane also does not let Vance, who can be a bit grumpy, walk all over her. Go Shane!

Vance is that typical romance hero for the time. He’s grumpy, stand-offish, happens to be filthy rich (but no one in town knows it) and has been hurt in love before. He just wants to be alone, but Shane, his neighbor, keeps talking to him. And then, when she asks him to work on her house, he can’t say no. There is a bit of back and forth, mainly because Vance is scared due to his past relationship. But then they get together and I loved it!

Of course there is some conflict, especially because Shane believes Vance is an out-of-work construction worker, not the president of a huge company. But I did love their romance. Once Vance decided he wanted to be with Shane (which took him a little bit) he was committed, and that kind of hero always wins me over. I just really enjoyed First Impressions, even if it’s a tiny bit dated.

Like Joy said, Nora has written so many books! I have a lot of ebooks by her but she keeps writing! Plus, that’s not counting all the previous books by her that I didn’t buy. It’s going to take me forever to read all of her books. I need to read this book because of Vance! I love his type in books and I love that Shane just keeps talking to him and not giving up. Great review!
Genesis @ Latte Nights Reviews

I know, NR has soo many books. When I first started read her books it was in 2002, and even then she had a zillion books! Now that number is probably doubled. This book was totally adorable. I’d love to know what you think of it if you read it.